Introducing the Diamond Days of acoustic folk-blues guitarist Eric Bibb.

* Eric Bibb was born in New York into a musical family. His father, Leon Bibb, was a trained singer who sang in musical theatre and made his name in the 1960s New York folk scene. His uncle was the jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet, and family friends included Pete Seeger and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Eric's godfather.

* Eric was given his first steel guitar aged seven and he recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who advised an 11-year-old Eric to "keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff".

* That motto prevails and with, Eric now settled in Salisbury, England, he is touring with his latest album, Diamond Days. Charles Hutchinson has a quiet word ahead of his York gig on Monday.


How come you are living in England, Eric?

"I've been living here for four-and-a-half years now. My management at the time was based in Surrey and my current manager, Stuart Ongley, is based in Wiltshire.

"I'd been touring England for quite some time and had been familiarised with beautiful parts of the country, and Salisbury is one of those. We just need to be near an airport, Bristol, Heathrow, as I travel a lot, and Salisbury is a good place to drop down between tours.

"I've been here for getting on for a year now; I chose it because the management team was nearby and it's a lovely little town that has everything I need."

Has living in England impacted on your songwriting?

"I'm sure it has. On your travels you come into contact with records and radio, and it's a question of where you live. Like if you lived in New Orleans, the music of that city would influence you.

"The important thing is to be energised by wherever you are, and the countryside here is a stone's throw away."

Your new album's title track, Diamond Days, takes a balanced view on life's ups and downs. What has led to this state of mind?

"With experience comes knowledge for sure and a philosophy for dealing with life. Touring can be really strenuous, so you try to be in control as much as possible, and you just have to go with the surprises, which can be good or not.

"The song says some days you get diamonds, some days nickels an' dimes, and what you learn is that it evens out, and life is about dealing with it with equilibrium, and that should be natural rather than chemical."

Give an example from your own life of your Diamond Days philosophy.

"Mostly what I'm talking about is a feeling of gratitude because I'm travelling around the world doing what I want to do: sharing my music and writing songs. It's harder work than I thought it would be, but it's even more wonderful than I expected.

"There's a lot of moaning going on among musicians and that grates with me because we're fortunate that we have food, we have shelter and we have more entertainment than we can use. We should use that energy for good."

Who will be playing with you in York on Monday?

"The legendary double bass player Danny Thompson, who's a wonderful human being. I've known his music since the Sixties, and he knows my music, and it was my management who suggested we should meet up. So I met him here in Salisbury and we started rehearsing eight weeks ago. I had a feeling it would work and so did he; we were very excited about playing together.

"Larry Crockett will be on drums. He's a fellow New Yorker, who I met in Paris and we've worked on and off for four years, though I play solo a lot of the time - but Larry is my drummer of choice."

What are the benefits of playing as a trio?

"It brings an intimate atmosphere between the players; you can still have space but on the other hand it's a really full sound. I think this is my favourite format at the moment, though I still do solo spots in the show too.

"I'm a performer of the old school: theatre gave me an appreciation of performing skills and of relating to an audience, when so many people don't learn stage craft. Me, I like to talk to the audience; I don't mutter; I don't like that thing of musicians setting themselves apart from an audience. That's not my way. It's better to talk about the music."


Eric Bibb plays Grand Opera House, York, on Monday, supported by Hayley Hutchinson, 7.30pm. Tickets: £17.50 on 0870 606 3595.